This invention relates to a portable device which indicates exactly when to manually close a fireplace damper door. Because people often forget to close the damper door and/or do not know the right time to close it, heat escapes up the chimney flue. This results in reduced home heating efficiency.
Presently, there are indicators that tell whether the damper is open or closed, all of which use mechanical levers and screws directly coupled to the damper for means of indication. Also, these devices only indicate an open or closed status. They do not tell precisely when to close the damper. example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,668 discloses a device including an indicator lamp which is electrically coupled to the damper door opening lever. When the damper is open, the light is on, and vice versa. One still could leave the damper door open if they were not looking directly at the fire and the present indication. Also, one would still not know exactly when to close the damper for maximum heating effiency. Another such device is disclosed for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,393,482 wherein a meter indicates damper position. Here the same problems exist. Both devices are costly and very difficult to install.